Nehemiah Action 2021-Rise Up and Build
Once a year, 26 congregations from all around Lexington come together in an exciting meeting to generate power to address serious problems in our community:
- The problems in our education system that harm our children and set up our kids for failure
- The lack of affordable housing that is especially impacting our friends and neighbors who have severe mental illness
- And the violence making our neighborhoods unsafe
This year it’s our goal to gather 2000 people of faith at our Nehemiah Action on Monday, April 27th to confront the decision makers who have the ability to change these systems. Your presence will really make a difference in the power of that meeting.
There’s likely to be some tension because we are challenging the way things are in the city and people in power often don’t like this. Sometimes this can be uncomfortable, but God commands us to do justice and we’ve got to change this brokenness together. We can’t ignore suffering in our city any longer.
Join the Nehemiah Action
Tuesday, April 27th at 7pm
There are two options to attend:
Come to the Drive In Rally at Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary at 601 Hill N Dale Rd. Bring your family and decorate your car!
Stay at home and log onto Zoom! No computer? No problem, you can call in over the phone.
You must register in advance here: https://forms.gle/8NjVhxv7c2fkM65u8
Everyone is welcome to attend. All Justice Ministry Network Members should bring 3+ friends and family with them so we have the power of 2000+ organized people!
What problems is BUILD addressing?
Rising Gun Violence… Over the last few years, Lexington has continued to set new records for the number of people shot and killed. A recent report by an expert study showed clearly that lack of trust between law enforcement and the community is a major driver of gun violence. BUILD has called for the implementation of a new kind of policing, the Group Violence Intervention strategy.
School to Prison Pipeline…Children who are suspended out of school are more likely to end up in prison. And in Fayette County Public Schools, children of color are suspended at much higher rates than white children. BUILD is pushing for our Superintendent and School Board to implement Whole School Restorative Practices to keep our kids in school and stop the high number of suspensions.
Affordable Housing…How do you stay “healthy at home” when you do not have a home? One in four families cannot afford their rent and are choosing between paying rent and buying groceries or medicine. BUILD pressed for the creation and funding of the Affordable Housing Fund, but as we saw last year when the mayor slashed the funding by 90%, it doesn’t go far enough. We need a dedicated revenue source so more of our essential worker heroes can afford to live in safe, decent housing. This is particularly important for our friends and neighbors with severe mental illness who need stable housing to avoid crisis.
Did you miss the Rally?
You can watch the meeting recording here:
Access Passcode: Rally2021!
Invest in the work of BUILD this year!
You can write a check to “BUILD” with your congregation name in the memo line and mail it to:
BUILD
P.O. Box 21874
Lexington, KY 40522
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